Is there a more popular dessert than s’mores? You don’t need a campfire and a branch. Just:

 
This recipe from Reynolds Wrap makes it easy.

EASY GRILLED S’MORES

Ingredients For 4 Servings

Yum! Photo courtesy Reynolds Wrap.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT grill to medium or preheat oven to 450°F.

2. FOR each s’more, top one graham cracker square with one chocolate bar half, one marshmallow and another graham cracker square. Repeat with remaining graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows.

3. CENTER one s’more on each sheet of foil. Turn up the foil sides. Double fold the top and ends to seal the packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Repeat to make four packets.

4. GRILL 4 to 5 minutes in covered grill, or bake 4 to 5 minutes on a cookie sheet in oven

There’s a group of cooked fruit desserts with crumb or pastry toppings that are similar enough to be confusing. Since today is National Cherry Cobbler Day, we’ll review the differences.

BETTY or BROWN BETTY

A betty is a crisp (see below) topped with buttered bread crumbs or bread pieces instead of streusel or another topping. Later recipes also use graham cracker crumbs (see the history of the graham cracker, which postdates the Brown Betty).

In some recipes, sugared and spiced fruit, usually diced apples although any fruit can be used, are placed in alternating layers with the crumbs and baked, covered, to the consistency of bread pudding.

A cherry raspberry cobbler. Photo courtesy USACherries.com.

The dish and name date back to colonial times, but the original “Betty” is lost to history; the brown refers to the brown sugar in the recipe. Here‘s a brown betty photo.

COBBLER

A cobbler is a cooked fruit dish, but the topping is different from other cooked fruits with toppings: It’s crowned with cooked lumps of dough. The dish got its name because the lumps of dough resembled cobblestones. In contrast, a crisp or crumble has a crumb topping.

Although some might see the cobbler as a crustless pie or “spoon pie” (a fruit pie with a filling so juicy it should be eaten with a spoon instead of a fork), it is often classified as a cake. Fruit is baked in a baking dish or casserole, then shortcake batter or biscuit dough is dropped onto the fruit before it goes into the oven.

Today, people tend to call everything a cobbler. But remember: a cobbler has a dropped pastry dough top instead of a crumb top.

A cherry crumble. Photo courtesy Dole.com.

CRISP or CRUMBLE

A crisp is a deep-dish fruit dessert made with a crumb or streusel topping and baked. The British term is crumble.

The next three relatives are in the spoon pie category.

GRUNT

A grunt is a spoon pie with biscuit dough on top of stewed fruit (fruit which is steamed, not baked). It’s a stovetop variation of the baked cobbler. Here‘s a photo.

PANDOWDY

A pandowdy is a spoon pie with a rolled top crust that is broken up to allow the juices to come through.

SLUMP

A slump is a spoon pie topped with biscuit dough or pie crust, which can be baked or steamed. It can be made upside down.

Now go bake a cherry cobbler and celebrate National Cherry Cobbler Day!

SEE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PASTRY IN OUR PASTRY GLOSSARY.

Healthier cupcakes cut down on the refined sugar. Photo courtesy Dole.com.

In the search for healthier cakes and cupcakes, recipe developers have replaced some of the refined sugar with the natural sweetness of applesauce and bananas.

Another way to eliminate calories is to cut the sugar- and fat-laden frosting. Instead, use a few chocolate chips or chopped nuts to add a flourish to the top.

Hmm, this looks like a muffin, you say; and you would be correct. The difference is that cupcakes have a less dense, finer crumb, more sugar and a frosted top.

But it all comes down to marketing: Call them cupcakes and your family will be just as happy to eat them.

This recipe for Black Magic Banana Cupcakes is from Dole, which has many tasty recipes on its website.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Stir together bananas, egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in large bowl; set aside.

2. COMBINE sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into banana mixture. Stir just until moistened.

3. LINE 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Lightly coat with vegetable spray and fill two-thirds full with batter.

4. BAKE 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Halfway through baking, sprinkle chocolate chips or nuts on the top.
 
CUPCAKE HISTORY

Cupcakes originated in the U.S. in the 19th century. The name is derived from the teacup: Before the advent of muffin tins, cupcakes were often baked in individual tea cups (as well as ramekins).

Cupcakes became popular because they baked more quickly than cakes. Equally as important, before the advent of the modern oven in the 20th century, a long-baking item like a cake could burn easily.

Muffin tins became popular by the beginning of the 20th century, and provided an easier baking receptacle. Paper and foil liners were created for easier removal of the cupcakes from the pan.

Crispy “Greek donut holes” and honey are a
special treat. Photo courtesy Stix
Mediterranean Grill | NYC.

We wanted to make something special for Mother’s Day, and were excited to come across these loukoumades at Stix Mediterranean Grill in New York City. We thank them for the yummmy recipe.

Loukoumades are a fried-dough honey pastry popular in the Mediterranean. Deep fried dough is soaked in sugar syrup or honey and cinnamon, and sometimes sprinkled with sesame. A modern analogy is a yeast “donut hole,” but much tastier.

The name (loo-koo-MAH-dess) derives from the Turkish word lokma, meaning mouthful or morsel. In ancient Greece, these deep fried dough balls were served to winners at the Olympics; so they’re a perfect treat for a champion mom.

Loukoumades can be served in one, two or more pieces, loose or on skewers, for dessert. A cup of tea is an excellent companion. For something more elaborately with ice cream and a drizzle of honey.

These crispy fried dessert dumplings are made with yeast; the dough must rise.

 
Use top quality honey: The better the honey, the more delicious the loukoumades.

LOUKOUMADES RECIPE

Ingredients

Use quality honey: It makes a big difference. Photo by Liv Friis-Larsen | IST.

Preparation

1. DISSOLVE yeast in water and let set for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. SIFT flour and salt together. Make a hole in flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix gently while continuously adding warm water until a soft, sticky dough is formed. Cover dough with clean, damp dishtowel. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size.

3. MAKE the syrup: Combine the sugar, honey and water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 6 minutes. Remove from high heat; cover to keep warm.

4. HEAT oil in deep fryer. Use a tablespoon to drop batter into hot oil. When batter floats and is golden and puffy, remove to drain on paper towel.

5. POUR syrup over hot loukmades and sprinkle with cinnamon.
 

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE PASTRY RECIPES.

Make a pound cake even more delicious with
Meyer lemon juice. Photo courtesy
Melissas.com.

Bursting with delicious Meyer lemon flavor and a sizzle of ginger, this pound cake is delicious and easy to make for Mother‘s Day. The recipe is courtesy of Melissas.com, purveyors of fine produce.

Bake this cake in a 4-5 cup nonstick loaf pan. Serves 6.

MEYER LEMON & GINGER POUND CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

Ingredients For The Glaze

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Generously butter pan, then flour it, gently tapping out excess. Chill 10 minutes.

2. FINELY GRIND together fresh ginger and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor (mixture will be wet).

3. WHISK together flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt. Stir together milk and vanilla in a small bowl.

4. BEAT together butter, remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer, until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Meyer lemon. Photo courtesy Melissas.com.

5. ALTERNATIVELY ADD flour and milk mixtures to butter and eggs in 4 batches, beginning with flour and mixing at low speed until each batch is just incorporated. Mix in ginger sugar until just combined, then lemon juice.

6. SPOON batter into pan, smoothing top. Bake in middle of oven until golden brown on top and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Carefully loosen edges with a knife and immediately invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

7. MAKE the glaze. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar to 1 tablespoon lemon juice, whisking until smooth. Add more juice, 1 drop at a time, if glaze is too thick. Drizzle decoratively over top of cake. Serve with a side of whipped cream.

 
ABOUT MEYER LEMONS

Once grown only as an ornamental garden lemon and frequently found only at farmers’ markets, the Meyer lemon has slowly graduated into commercial production. Unlike its two popular counterparts, the Eureka and Lisbon lemons, the Meyer lemon has mild, sweet, juicy flesh.

Although too tart to eat out-of-hand, Meyer lemons are beloved by chefs for flavoring both savory and sweet dishes. Use Meyer Lemons as a low calorie seasoning on fish, poultry, vegetables and fruit desserts. The juice is a fresh alternative to high fat salad dressings and sauces.

As with other lemons, Meyer lemon juice retards browning on cut avocados and apples, while vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower and turnips will stay white when cooked in water accented with lemon juice.
 

SEE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEMONS.

Both the chocolate cake and yellow cake
are excellent. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE
NIBBLE.

Along with hoards of other New Yorkers, we go cupcake crazy. Every time a new cupcake shop opens, no matter how far away the neighborhood, we go running into the subway with great enthusiasm—usually because of a rave review from a person or publication.

Most of the time we’re disappointed: The cupcakes taste like muffins, not cake; the chocolate cupcakes lack intensity of chocolate flavor; and the buttercream is too sugary. Let everyone else ooh and aah over such cupcakes: Our palate sets a higher bar.

House Of Cupcakes, a winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars program, has just arrived in Manhattan’s West Village.* House of Cupcakes gets it right.

Both chocolate and yellow cakes are excellent: light but full of flavor. The buttercream has just enough sugar, but not an overload. As a result, the cupcakes are spot-on and never cloying, despite the generous amount of frosting. There are also sugar-free and vegan cupcakes.

*It’s locared at 101 Seventh Avenue South at Grove Street (Sheridan Square).

House of Cupcakes makes more than 35 varieties of cupcakes, baked and decorated in-store daily. Mini-cupcakes, breakfast cakes, cookies, sugar cookies, push pops, cake pops and pull-apart sheet cakes (made from cupcakes) are also on the menu, along with custom and special occasion cakes (birthday, baby shower, etc.). A full line of hot and cold beverages is served.

The original House Of Cupcakes opened in Princeton, New Jersey in 2008. The overwhelming success of the store caught the eye of the founder of Party City, who helped the one-shop business develop into multiple locations and franchising.

He also cleverly snapped up licenses for Disney, Nickelodeon and Marvel characters, Barbie, Care Bears, Hot Wheels and professional sports teams including the New York Yankees, New York Mets, New York Giants, New York Jets and more in the works.

The net result: a cake and cupcake with wares that satisfy. Handsome gift boxes in Tiffany blue make a gift of these cupcakes a royal experience.

Every cupcake has festive decor. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

For more information on House of Cupcakes, visit HouseOfCupcakes.com or become a Facebook fan.

If you’d like your next career move to be a cupcake store, ask about a franchise and tell us when you open: We’ll be by for more cupcakes.

May 9th is National Butterscotch Brownie Day, a bar cookie better known as the blondie—short for blonde brownie. The batter—flour, brown sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder and vanilla—is yellow (blonde), as opposed to chocolate brownie batter.

Butterscotch brownies don’t need to have inclusions (chips, nuts); but today’s blondies typically combine butterscotch chips and chocolate chips.

According to Food Timeline, blonde brownies predate the chocolate version by about 10 years. Around 1896, a molasses-flavored bar cookie (no chocolate, cocoa or chocolate chips) called a brownie appeared. The name honored the elfin characters featured in popular books, stories, cartoons and verses of the time by Palmer Cox (the Eastman Kodak Brownie camera was also named after these elves).

After the later introduction and popularity of chocolate brownies, became known as a butterscotch brownie (history of the brownie). The name “Blondie” surfaces in the 1980s. It was not named for Dagwood Bumstead’s wife.

In this recipe. cookbook author Dorie Greenspan uses toffee bits instead of butterscotch chips. She also adds some coconut, which you can keep or omit.

The recipe is from Dorie’s book, Baking: From My Home To Yours (it makes you want to get an invitation to Dorie’s home, ASAP).

RECIPE: Chewy, Chunky Blondies

Ingredients

Photo courtesy LovinInTheOven.com.

 
*You can chop up any toffee you have on hand.

The blondie recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s
book, Baking: From My Home To Yours. Photo
courtesy Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Preparation

1. CENTER a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet. Prepare a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer and a large bowl.

2. WHISK together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. BEAT the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated.

4. ADD the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition; then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter.

5. STIR in the chips, nuts and coconut, using a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best you can.

6. BAKE for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown color.

7. TRANSFER the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack right side up and cool the blondies to room temperature. Cut into 32 bars, each roughly 2-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches.

FOOD 101: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUTTERSCOTCH & TOFFEE

Both start with sugar, butter and water. Then, it’s a question of the heat and any added ingredients.

Here’s the scoop.

The perfect cookie for Cinco de Mayo. Photo
courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

What could be tastier on Cinco de Mayo than dulce de leche sandwich cookies? This recipe, courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, makes two dozen of them.

Another name for the cookies is noche bueno, a good night—which it certainly will be when you sit down with these cookies and coffee or milk.

DULCE DE LECHE COOKIES

Ingredients

Optional Garnishes

*For the best chocolate flavor, look for bittersweet chocolate with a minimum of 60 percent cocoa solids.

†Dulce de leche is available near the canned milk at Latin markets and many supermarkets. Here’s how to make your own dulce de leche from condensed milk.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F with oven racks in upper and lower third positions.

2. SIFT or whisk together flour, cocoa, chili powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl until combined. Set aside.

3. COMBINE butter and sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat until light and fluffy.

4. ADD egg yolks, coffee liqueur (or coffee) and vanilla, beating well, scraping down the sides after each addition. Mix in the cooled chocolate.

5. REDUCE speed to low, add dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until combined well.

Ready for its close up. Photo courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

6. DROP batter by rounded teaspoons 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle with ground almonds. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until cookies are puffed up and dry looking around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool.

7. CONTINUE with the remaining dough, making sure to let the baking sheets cool between batches.

8. FILL the cookie sandwiches: Spread 1/2 teaspoon of dulce de leche on the flat side of a cookie, top with a second cookie to form a sandwich. Fill remaining cookies in the same manner.

9. DUST with additional cocoa powder and a sprinkle of cinnamon, ground almonds and/or chili powder.
 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE COOKIE RECIPES.

A raspberry tart baked in a rectangular pan.
Photo and recipe courtesy BettyCrocker.com.

May 3rd is National Raspberry Tart Day. It’s really easy to make a basic fruit tart with just a pastry shell, the fruit and currant jelly for glazing.

More complex recipes have a filling of cheese, custard or pastry cream. This recipe from Betty Crocker uses cream cheese—and doesn’t require a special tart pan. It takes just 20 minutes to prepare. It takes a shortcut, using a cookie mix for the crust; but you can make a classic, buttery pâte brisée (short pastry) just as easily with the instructions below.

EASY RASPBERRY TART RECIPE

Ingredients For The Crust

Preparation
 
1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Spray a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. CUT butter into cookie mix in large bowl, using a pastry dough blender or fork. until crumbly; stir in almonds. Press dough in bottom of pan and 1/2 inch up the sides.

3. BAKE 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Meanwhile…

4. BEAT cream cheese and sugar in small bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, until well blended and smooth. Spread evenly over cooled cookie crust. Top with raspberries.

5. COMBINE jelly and honey in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on high for 20 to 30 seconds or until thin enough to glaze. Brush glaze over berries.

6. REFRIGERATE 2 hours. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Cover and refrigerate any remaining tarts. Makes 24 servings.

PÂTE BRISÉE RECIPE

Pâte brisée (pot bree-ZAY), or short crust,* is a buttery tart crust with a crumbly texture. It is used for sweet and savory pies, tarts and quiches. It can be made several days in advance and kept in the fridge, or frozen for a month.

Ingredients

A classic tart is made in a round, fluted pan with a removable bottom. Photo courtesy PetesSweets.com.

1. PULSE the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse 15 seconds, until the ingredients resembles coarse meal.

2. ADD 1/4 cup ice water through the feed tube in a slow stream, until the dough just holds together when pinched (add remaining water as needed). Do not process more for than 30 seconds.

3. PLACE the dough on a work surface and gather it into a ball; divide ball into two equal pieces, flatten into a disk and tightly wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

4. PRESS into tart pan, refrigerate or freeze for later use. Defrost in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

*Brisée actually is a participle of the French verb briser, which means to break, shatter or smash. We don’t know the origin, but inspired by the store of ganache, we like to think cookware was broken by whomever created the recipe.

There are sweet cheescakes for dessert and savory chesecakes for appetizers and first courses. Here are one of each for Cinco de Mayo, each with south-of-the-border flair. Both recipes come from TasteOfHome.com.

NACHO CHEESECAKE: AN APPETIZER OR FIRST COURSE

This recipe can be served in individual slices and eaten with a fork, or can be a cocktail hour centerpiece served with crackers and/or tortilla chips.

Ingredients

Nacho cheesecake, a Mexican spin on the appetizer cheesecake. Photo courtesy Taste Of Home.

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE crushed tortilla chips and butter; press onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan.

2. BEAT the cream cheese, mayonnaise, taco seasoning and flour in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in the chicken, cheese blend and onions. Pour over crust. Place pan on a baking sheet.

3. BAKE at 325°F for 60-70 minutes or until center is almost set. Gently spread sour cream over the top; bake 10 minutes longer or until set.

4. COOL on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

5. REMOVE sides of pan just before serving. Garnish with corn, avocado, tomato and olives. Serve with salsa and crackers if desired. Yield: 24 servings.

 
CHECK OUT 5 MORE APPETIZER CHEESECAKE RECIPES, FROM BLUE CHEESE TO SALMON.

Now onto dessert! In addition to dulce de leche caramel, this Mexican=accented cheesecake has chili powder mixed into the chocolate swirl.

DULCE DE LECHE CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Ingredients For The Crust

Dulce de leche cheesecake, a Mexican spin
on the creamy dessert. Photo courtesy Taste
Of Home.

 
Ingredients For The Filling

1. PLACE a greased 9-inch springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 inches square). Securely wrap foil around pan. (If you have a leakproof springform pan, you can omit this step.)

2. COMBINE the cookie crumbs, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and butter in a large bowl. Press onto the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of the prepared pan.

3. BEAT cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the milk, flour and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust.

4. POUR dulce de leche into a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at 50% power until softened. Drop dulce de leche by tablespoonfuls over batter; cut through batter with a knife to swirl.

5. PLACE the springform pan in a large baking pan; create a water bath (bain-marie) by adding 1 inch of hot water into the larger pan. Bake at 350°F for 60-70 minutes or until the center is just set and top appears dull.

6. REMOVR springform pan from the water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of the pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.

7. MELT chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl; stir until smooth. Stir in chili powder. Spread over cheesecake.

8. REFRIGERATE overnight. Remove sides of pan. Yield: 16 servings.
 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE CHEESECAKE RECIPES.